About Maxene Andrews

Maxene Andrews and her sisters Patty and Laverne Andrews comprised one of the most popular musical trios of the 1940s, "The Andrews Sisters." With her siblings, Andrews appeared in close to 20 films, in which she most frequently played herself. The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998. Their hit "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" can be considered an early example of rhythm and blues or jump blues. On October 1, 1987, The Andrews Sisters received a star on Hollywood's famous Walk of Fame for their contribution to the music industry.

Maxene Angelyn Andrews was born on January 3, 1916 in in Minnesota to a Greek immigrant father and a Norwegian American mother, Olga "Ollie" (née Sollie) Andrews and Peter Andreas who took the name of Andrews.

They began performing in the early 1930s when the Depression wiped out their father's business. Patty, the youngest and the lead singer of the group, was only seven when the group was formed, and just 12 when they won first prize at a talent contest at the local Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis, where LaVerne played piano accompaniment for the silent film showings in exchange for free dancing lessons for herself and her sisters.

In 1937, the sisters scored their first big hit with 'Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen.' In addition to 'Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy', their best-known songs included 'Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree' and 'Rum and Coca Cola'.

Once the sisters found fame and settled in California, their parents lived with them in a Brentwood estate in Los Angeles until their deaths. Several cousins from Minnesota followed them west. The sisters returned to Minneapolis at least once a year to visit family and friends and/or to perform.

The trio officially broke up after the death of Laverne in 1967, and a suitable replacement could not be found.